Loving God with all my heart, mind and soul and loving my neighbor as myself by making disciples, baptizing and to teach all things commanded by Jesus Christ in the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles and the Revelation. HEAR THIS GOSPEL - Romans 10:17 BELIEVE ON CHRIST - John 6:47 REPENT OF EVERY SIN - Luke 13:3 CONFESS JESUS AS CHRIST - Matthew 10:32 BE BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS - Acts 2:38 LIVE FAITHFULLY - I John 1:7 SPREAD THIS SAME GOSPEL - Acts 8:4

Friday, May 29, 2009

Division 101

Think about it. When was the very first denomination founded? Was it in the 2nd century, the 3rd, the 15th? Actually, the very first denomination, the very first false religion was founded in the Garden of Eden! Satan convinced Eve, and then Adam, to found the very first denomination! Satan convinced the two of them to become apostate from the true and living God and found their own religion based on a satanic lie! The lie that their new “religion” was founded upon was the Satan’s statement that “…thou shalt not surely die.” (See Genesis 3) Satan has been in the denominational and false religion mode since that day in the garden!

Today, Satan is more aggressive than ever in the “denomination creation” department. Once each Western nation had its own denomination. Greece, Russia, Syria and Serbia had their own brands of Orthodoxy, Germany had Lutheranism, England had Anglicanism, Scotland had Presbyterianism, etc., etc. With the advent of religious liberty in America, denominations began centering, not on one’s nation, but upon one’s favorite culture or doctrine. We had Irish Catholics, French Catholics, Italian Catholics, Puritans, Quakers, Shakers, Adventists, Mormons, Witnesses, Methodists, Baptists, etc., etc. Now in post-modern and post-Christian America, any man or woman so inclined is starting there own personal religion! The new denominations in American are likely to be called “Such and So Community Church” or “Church of the New Life” or perhaps…to borrow a phrase… “The Church of What’s Happening Now.” Freightingly, each person in America can now have their own “private” religion based on the premise that “if” there is a God, He is a “good” God interested only in making each of us happy, content and wealthy. This “god” will not send any of us to hell as long as we are “comparatively better” than someone else we knew. This “god” grades on a “scale” as long as one is “searching” or is “sincere.” Heaven will be theirs unless they become a serial killer or are a former Nazi concentration camp guard.

That sums up the American view of denominationalism, but what do others think? The Russians, for example, have a completely different view of American denominationalism than we do. Today in Pravda we read the following regarding American denominationalism:

…their (America’s) faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.[1]

Quite a different perspective. Even more important…what does GOD think of denominationalism? God, in fact, wrote down His perspective on this subject! He left it for us to read in the Holy Bible. Here it is:

• Jesus promised to build but one church – Matthew 16:18• On the very day His church was established, God added the saved to only one church – Acts 2:47• Paul denounced four denominations that had cropped up in Corinth – I Corinthians 1:10ff• Paul called (twice) “accursed” anyone, including an angel from heaven, that taught “another gospel” other than the one he had preached – Galatians 1:6-10

What shall we do, America? Division and discord among God’s people is something that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). Why not leave all of our preconceived notions at the door, open our Bibles and accept nothing more and nothing less than “thus saith the Lord?” Let’s believe what the infant church believed, practice what they practiced, live as they lived and become simply “Christians” as they were! Let’s hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Christ (John 6:47), repent of every sin (Luke 13:3), confess the Name of Christ before witnesses (Matthew 10:32), be baptized for the remission and forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), live faithfully from that moment on (I John 1:7) and spread this same gospel (Acts 8:4)![2] God is calling America to restoration! “Let’s roll!”

NOTES:

[1]Stansilav Mishin, “American Capitalism, Gone With a Whimper,” as reprinted in Pravda, May 29, 2009 Via: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0/ [2]For more information on Christ and His church, click on: www.archdale.org/reasoningtogether.shtml